SHAMBHALA SUN JANUARY 2012 19
into the trap of simply highlighting the
positive and ignoring the negative. As the
word enlightened indicates, the totality is
illuminated.
What keeps the illumination bright?
Having knowledge about basic good-
ness. With such knowledge we contact
the sacred, the whole—that which can-
not be transgressed, violated, or divided.
As people embody it, kindness, wisdom,
and strength reverberate, and society is in
a perpetually awakening state.
Thus enlightened society is character-
ized by constantly maintaining the ethos of
awake, inherently acknowledging that if we
do not maintain “awake,” we will be asleep.
Sleep takes place when people either for-
get or ignore basic goodness. Then, acting
on the insecurity, guilt, and fear that arise,
people do horrendous things.
We see in Mahayana Buddhism that
the power of raising the supreme thought
to benefit others created a flourishing
culture that celebrated human goodness.
This changed Buddhism from an individ-
ual pursuit to a cultural pursuit. It hap-
pened through the power of bodhisattva
warriors turning the mind toward others
and focusing above all on their happiness.
Like the Mahayana bodhisattva, the
Shambhala warrior has the bravery to
take on hardship because of conviction
in a superior and universal principle.
This makes us completely simple, which
empowers our intention to awaken others.
Simplicity is not a lack of understanding,
but intelligence and profound heart based
on experiencing basic goodness. “Com-
plicated” cannot understand simple, but
simple can understand complicated.
Enlightened society can happen in any
culture. The past offers examples. The future
depends on our view. When we recognize
basic goodness, the world is a constant sup-
port for awakening, and there is no limit to
society’s enlightenment. ♦
SAKYONG MIPHAM is the spiritual leader
of Shambhala, an international network of
Buddhist meditation and retreat centers. He
is the author of Turning the Mind Into an
Ally and Ruling Your World. His new book,
Running With the Mind of Meditation, will
be published this spring.